On the occasion of World Refugee Day, Enabel’s Support to Skilling Uganda project together with the Embassy of Belgium and the European Union Delegation to Uganda, organised a seminar on "Early Development Preparedness and Response to the Expected DRC Refugee Influx in Uganda".

The idea for the seminar stems from a recent scoping study by the International Refugee Rights Initiative on the Congolese refugee influx to Uganda, which assessed the current displacement dynamics in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The study confirmed a high probability of continued violent conflicts, resulting in a large-scale exodus of Congolese refugees in the following months and years. These vulnerable people will search for protection, access to basic services and livelihood opportunities in neighboring countries such as Uganda.

Therefore, the seminar explored ways to ensure that DRC refugees can be woven into the Ugandan socio-economic fabric, hereby focussing on a close collaboration between humanitarian and development partners.

The seminar consisted of two panels, with the first one focusing on stability and security issues of the expected influx, and the second one on the economic integration of these Congolese refugees. According to Niels De Block, International Skills Development Expert at Enabel,  ”Refugees don’t have to be a burden. They can bring economic benefits to Ugandan society provided that their economic integration is encouraged. By being economically active and entrepreneurial, refugees often push economic growth which then stimulates job creation for the host community.”

Eminent researchers, such as Dr. Naohiko Omata (Refugee Studies Center of the University of Oxford), and Dr. Nassim Majidi (Sciences Po’s Center for International Studies), fueled the discussions with keynotes.

At the closing round table Belgian ambassador to Uganda, Hugo Verbist, concluded that “In addition to formal education, we should focus on training the youth in refugee and host communities. They need to be skilled, on the work floor or elsewhere, in trades that will facilitate their entrance in the labor market.”